Lead-in device for electric sadiron



y 1941. A. 0. SAMUELS 2,249,620

LEAD-IN DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC SADIRQN Filed July 3. 1940 INVENTOR 4 Q Samuis ATToRNEvs Patented July 15, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims. (01.219-25) This invention relates to electric sadirons. and

more specifically to improved lead-in means for attaching a flexible conductor cord to an electric sadiron.

It has been customary heretofore to attach an electric conductor cord to the rear oi a sadiron.

for instance, by means of a removable plug, or v by attaching the cord directly to a portion of the iron, with the cord extending outwardly, and, in

some cases, upwardly, from the rear of the iron.

disposed on the side of the ironing board opposite the operator, the cord is subjected to constant flexing causing undue wear thereof, and resulting eventually in rupture of the conductors or insulation.

It has been proposed to attach a conductor cord to an electric sadiron in such a manner that the cord extends outwardly from the right-hand side of said iron and is provided with a reenforcing member, whereby the cord extends over the far side of the ironing board'when the iron is used by a right-handed operator.

However, such irons are not adapted for convenient use by left-handed operators, since, in this case, the cord would extend outward from the iron toward the operator and would interfere seriously with the work. being ironed.

It has also been proposed to attach a cord to an electric sadiron by means of a plug having a lead-in member which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, said member moving freely during use of the iron. This arrangement permits the cord to drag over the ironing board interfering with the work being ironed especially when the outlet to which the cord is attached is not positioned on the side of the ironing board opposite the operator. The plug is unsightly, clumsy, and inconvenient.

It is an object of the present invention to provide lead-in means for attaching anelectric conductor cord to an electric sadiron whereby the direction in which the cord extends from the iron may be adjusted so that the cord may extend outwardly either from the right or left side. of the iron, or from the rear end thereof, whereby the iron is adapted for convenient use by lefthanded or right-handed operators.

It is also an object of the invention to provide reenforcing means associated with said lead-in means to prevent excessive flexure of the cord which would result in undue wear thereof.

It is also a further object of the present invention to provide means to lock the lead-in means in any of the aforesaid positions, whereby the cord is rigidly held in the desired position regardless of the location of an outlet to which it is attached.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of lead-in means of the aforesaid type conforming to the contour of the iron, and presenting a neat streamlined appearance.

The objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing a rotatably adjustable leadin member in the rear of the iron through which the electrical conductor cord extends. The said member is preferably adjustable in such positions that the cord may extend outwardly from the rear of the iron or from either side thereof. Latch means is provided for locking the rotary lead-in member in either of the desired positions, and a reenforcing member surrounding the said cord is likewise carried by the said rotary lead-in member.

A recess is provided adjacent the lead-in member in order to house means whereby the leads of the flexible cord are connected to the heating elements of the electric iron. The said recess may be provided with a removable cover plate, preferably conforming to the contour of the iron, whereby the said connections are rendered accessible.

Preferably, the rotary lead-in member is located in the rear portion of the handle of the electric iron, an aperture in the wall of said handle providing access for the electrical conducting wire to said rotary member. Latch means for retaining the rotary member in any of the desired positions is preferably located above the said member and is accessible for adjustment at the top of the handle.

The accompanying drawing shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the sadiron, including means for leading a flexible conductor cord into the iron according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 3, but shows a flexible cord adjusted in position for right-hand operation.

Fig. 5 is a detail in plan elevation of the rotary lead-in member included in the preceding figures, carrying a flexible cord and a reenforcing member therefor.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, the device of the present invention comprises an electric sadiron having a casing it, a base plate H and a handle l2, said handle comprising front and rear upright members II and I4, and a iongitudinal grip member [5 supported thereby.

The handle I2 is attached by suitable fastening means it and I! to the forward and rear ends respectively of the casing l2.

A pair of shields II are preferably interposed between the uprights II and N in the handle and the top of the casing I. to prevent the handle from becoming overheated. A control switch IQ, for the heating elements of the iron, may be suitably disposed on the top of the casing ll intermediate the two uprights l3 and ll of the handle. v

In the rear upright ll of the handle a recess is provided, preferably facing toward the rear end of the iron, and housing a pair of terminals 2!, one of which is shown in Fig. 2, for attaching the leads 22 of a flexible conductor cord 22 to the leads 24 of the heating elements of the iron.

The latter leads may enter the said recess through a passage 25 in the handle, extending through fastening means I], which communicates with the interior of the casing II. A cover plate 26 preferably conforming to the contour of the handle I2 is secured in place by means of screws 21 to cover the recess 2|.

The upper rear corner of the handle I2 is cut away to form a substantially horizontal shoulder 28 and a second stepped shoulder 29. A cylindrical passage 30, terminating at the shoulder 28, and disposed at right angles thereto, communicates with the recess 20.

The flexible cord 23 is led into the recess 20 through a rotatable disk member 3| of greater diameter than the cylindrical passage 30, and supported on the shoulder 28 above said cylindrical passage.

Cord 23 enters said disk at its periphery and emerges at the center of the lower surface thereof, passing thence through the cylindrical passage 30 into the recess 20.

A cover 32 for retaining said disk in place is secured by means of screws 33 to the stepped shoulder 29. Preferably, the external surface of the cover 32 conforms to the contour of the upper portion of the handle I2.

At each side of the shoulder 20, the walls 29' of the handle extend upward flush with the stepped shoulder 29 to provide a support for the cover 32, but the said extensions terminate to the rear, short of the transverse axis of the disk member 3i supported upon the shoulder 28, in order to allow the projecting cord 23 to be rotated with the disk member 3| from a position extending outwardly from the rear of the iron to a position wherein it extends at right angles from the side of the iron, at the right or left side thereof.

In order to retain the disk ii in engagement with the cover 32 and the shoulder 2|, while permitting the disk to rotate, the lower surface of said disk is provided with a raised circular portion 34 fitting into the end of the cylindrical passage 3|, and a concentric annular shoulder ll,

between said raised circular portion of the outer edge of the disk, which engages a correspondingly shaped annular recess on the surface of the shoulder 2|, concentric with the cylindrical passage il. The upper surface of the disk member Ii is similarly provided with a raised circular portion 28 which engages a corresponding recess in the cover 22. a

The cord 22 is preferably reenforced adjacent its junction with the disk member II to avoid undue wear as a result of flexing during use. This is accomplished by the provision of a reenforcing member 31 comprising a tapered coil of resilient wire which surrounds said cord. One end of the said reenforcing member is secured to the rotary disk member II and is adapted to rotate therewith.

In order to facilitate the assembly of the cord 22 and the reeni'orcing member 21 with the disk member I I, the latter may be conveniently formed of an upper part Ila and a lower part Ilb, the said parts having radial channels or grooves respectively on their contiguous surfaces, which provide, when the said parts are assembled, a radial passage as through which the cord extends inwardly. The lower part lib is provided with a central aperture 20 from which the cord is adapted to emerge from said radial passage.

Adjacent the periphery of the disk II, said radial passage II is provided with an annular groove 4| formed by correspondingly disposed semi-annular grooves in the radial channels of the upper and lower parts of said disk, said annular groove engaging an annularflange H on the inner end of the reenforcing member I! which surrounds the cord 28, and retaining said reenforcing member in engagement with the disk member ii. The upper and lower parts of the disk II are secured together by any suitable means, for instance, by eyelets II, as shown in Fig. 5, or by other means known in the art, such as screws, rivets, etc.

Means is further provided for locking the disk member ii and the associated cord and reenforcing member in such positions that the cord extends outward from the handle substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the iron on either side thereof, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, or directly outward toward the rear of the iron, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By the provision of such means, the cord is prevented from swinging back and forth during use.

For the aforesaid P se, three radial slots 43a, b and c are provided, as shown in Fig. 5, in the upper surface of the disk member 3|. A latch member is provided comprising a clip 44, carried in an elongate slot 45 in the top of the cover 32, one end of said clip being hinged at ll, and the other end having an ear 4! adapted to engage the said radial slots in the upper surface of the disk member 3|. Thus, when the car 41 engages the middle slot 42b of the disk member, the latter is retained in the intermediate position in which the cord 22 and reenforcing member 31 extend outward from the rear of the iron in alignment with the grip portion II of the handle. Similarly, when the ear 41 engages the slot a, the cord and reenforcing member is retained in a position projecting from the left side of the iron, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby theiron may be conveniently used by a left-handed operator. When the slot c is engaged, the cord is similarly retained in a position extending outward from the right-hand side of the iron, as

shown in Fig. 4, whereby the iron may be conveniently used by a right-handed operator.

In order to change the position of the cord. the latch member .is raised, the cord and disk rotated to the desired position, and the latch dropped back into place to engage one of the aforesaid slots.

To facilitate manipulation of the latch for readjustment of the position of the cord, 9. tab 48 is provided on the upper edge of the clip 44. The said tab may fit normally into a suitable recess in the top of the handle to avoid its pro jecting from the upper surface thereof when the iron is in use.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, the slot 45 containing the clip la is formed in a central rib 49 extending along the top of the handle iii, and the tab it fits into a recess it at one side or the said rib.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In an electric sadiron having a flexible cord for connecting the iron to an electric power supply, a rotatably adjustable lead-in member through which said cord extends mounted at the rear end of said iron whereby the cord. may be disposed. to project outwardly from either side of the iron or from the rear end thereof; and means for retaining said lead-in member against rotation.

2. In an electric sadiron having a flexible cord for connecting the iron to an electric power supply, a rotatably adjustable lead-in member through. which said cord extends mounted at the rear end of said iron whereby the cord may be disposed to project outwardly from either side of the iron or from the rear end thereof; and means for retaining said lead-in member against rotation when the cord is disposed in either of the aforesaid positions.

3. In an electric sadiron having a flexible cord for connecting the iron to an electric power sup ply, a rotatably adjustable lead-in member through which said cord extends mounted at the rear end of said iron whereby the cord may be disposed to project outwardly from either side of the iron. or from the rear end thereof; a re enforcing member carried by said lead-in memher and surrounding said cord at its junction with said lead-in member; and releasable means for retaining said lead-in member against rotation.

4. In an electric sadiron having a flexible cord for connecting said iron to an electric power supply, a lead-in member through which said cord extends mounted at the rear end oi said iron said lead-in member being rotatably adjustable in a substantially horizontal plane whereby the cord may be disposed to project outwardly from either side oi the iron or from the rear end thereof; and, releasable means for retaining said lead-in member against rotation.

ii. In an electric sadiron having heating ele ments and a flexible cord for connecting said heating elements to an electric power supply, a rotatably adjustable lead-in member through which said cord extends mounted at the rear end of said iron, the cord entering said member substantially in radial direction and emerging therefrom in a substantially axial direction, whereby the cord may be disposed to proiect outwardly from either side of the iron or from the rear end thereof; a recess in said iron adjacent said rotary lead-in member into which the axially emerging portion of said cord extends; and means housed in said recess for connecting the leads of the cord to the heating elements of the iron.

6. In an electric sadiron having-heating elements, a handle, and a flexible cord for com necting said heating elements to an electric power supply; a rotatably adjustable lead-in member through which the cord extends, said member being mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane at the rear of the handle of said iron, said cord entering said member at its periphery and emerging at the center of its lower surface; a reenforclng member for said cord secured to,said lead-in member; an aper ture in the wall of said handle adjacent the periphery of the lead-in member extending from one side of the iron around the rear to the other side thereof, whereby the cord may be adjusted to extend outwardly from either side of the handle or from the rear thereof; latch means for retaining said lead-in member against rotation when the cord is adjusted in either of the aforesaid positions; a recess in said handle below said lead-in member into which the cord extends; and means housed in said recess for connecting the leads of said cord to the heating elements of the iron.

7. In an electric sadiron having heating elements, a handle and a flexible cord for connecting said heating elements to an electric power supply; a rotatably adjustable lead-in member through which said cord extends, the cord entering said member at its periphery and emerging at the lower surface thereof; removable means for mounting said member for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane at the rear of the handle of said iron, whereby said cord is adjustable for extension from said handle from either side thereof or outwardly from the rear; latch means carried by the handle for retaining said lead-in member against rotation when the cord extends in either of the aforesaid directions; a recess in said handle below said lead-in member into which said cord extends; and means housed in said recess for connecting the leads of the cord to the heating elements of the iron.

8. In an electric sadiron having heating elements, a handle, and a flexible cord for connecting said heating elements to an electric power supply; a rotatably adjustable lead-in member through which the cord extends, said member being mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane at the rear of the handle of said iron, said cord entering said member at its periphery and emerging in the center of its lower surface; a flexible reenforcing member for said cord secured to said lead-in member; an aperture in the wall of said handle adjacent the periphery of the lead-in member extending from one side of the iron around the rear to the other side thereof, whereby the cord may be adjusted to extend outwardly from either side of the barn die or from the rear thereof; latch means for retaining said lead-in member against rotation when the cord is adjusted in either of the afore said positions; a recess in said handle below said lead-in member into which the cord extends; means housed in said recess for connecting the leads of said cord to the heating elements of the iron; and a removable cover plate for said recess for providing access thereto" 9. In an electric sadiron having heating elements, a handle, and a flexible cord for connecting said heating elements to an electric power supply; a rotatably adjustable lead-in memher through which said cord extends, the cord entering said member at its periphery and emerging at the center of the lower surface thereof; a flexible reenforcing member for said cord secured to said lead-in member; removable means for retaining said lead-in member for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane in the rear of the handle of said iron, whereby said cord is adjustable to extend from either side of said handle or outwardly from the rear thereof; latch means carried by the handle for retaining said lead-in member against rotation when the cord extends in either of the aforesaid directions; a recess in said handle below said lead-in member; means housed in said recess for connecting the leads of said cord to the heating elements of the iron; and a removable cover plate for said recess; said latch means, retaining means, and the exposed surface of said lead-in member conforming substantially to the contour of said handle.

10. In an electric sadiron, a lead-in member adapted to be mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane at the rear of said iron, said member comprising two parts; means for fastening said parts together; physical alterations in the contiguous surfaces of said parts for forming a passage extending radially inward from the periphery of said member and axially outward from the center thereof; and a flexible cord for connecting said iron to an electric power supply extending through said passage inwardly from the periphery of said member and outwardly from the center thereof.

11. In an electric sadiron, a lead-in member adapted to be mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plan in the rear of said iron, said member being separable into two parts along a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation thereof; a radial groove in the contiguous surfaces of said parts, and a central aperture in one of them, forming a passage extending radially inward from the periphery of said member and axially outward from its center; and a flexible cord for connecting said iron to an electric power supply extending inwardly through said passage from the periphery of said member and outward from the center thereof.

12. In an electric sadiron, a lead-in member adapted to be mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane at the rear of said iron; a passage extending radially inward from the periphery of said member and axially outward from the center thereof; a flexible cord for connecting said iron to an electric power supply extending inwardly through said passage from the periphery of said member and outwardly from the center thereof; and physical alterations on the outer surface of said member for retaining it in engagement with the handle of said iron for rotation in substantially a horizontal plane.

13. In an electric sadiron, a lead-in member adapted to be mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane in the rear portion of the handle of said iron, said member comprising a passage extending radially inward from its periphery. and axially outward from the center thereof; a flexible cord for connecting said iron to an electric power supply extending inwardly through said passage from the periphery of said member and outwardly from the center thereof; and physical alterations in the outer surface of said lead-in member for engaging latch means carried by the handle of the iron, so disposed that the said member is retained against rotation when the cord extends outwardly from the rear or from either side of said iron.

14, In an electric sadiron, a lead-in member adapted to be mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane at the rear of said iron, said member comprising two parts; means for fastening said parts together; alterations in the contiguous surfaces of said parts for forming a passage extending radially inward from the periphery of said member and axially outward from the center thereof; a flexible cord for connecting said iron to an electric power supply extending inwardly through said passage from the periphery of said lead-in member and outwardly from the center thereof; an annular groove in said passage adjacent the periphery of said member; and a vreenforcement for said cord having an annular flange at one end, said flange engaging said annular groove.

15. In an electric sadiron as defined in claim 5, a handle extending longitudinally of the iron, said rotatably adjustable lead-in member being mounted within the rear end of said handle for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane, said handle having an opening in the rear thereof opposite the periphery of said lead-in member extending arcuately from one side of the handle around the rear to its other side, and said cord entering the lead-in member in substantially radial direction through said opening, whereby the cord may be adjusted by rotation of the leadin member to extend outwardly from either side of the handle or from the rear end thereof.

16. In an electric sadiron as defined in claim 5, a handle extending longitudinally of the iron, said rotatably adjustable lead-in member being mounted at the rear end of said handle for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane, and said recess housing the means for connecting the leads of the cord to the heating elements of the iron being formed in the rear portion of said handle and disposed below said rotatable lead-in member.

17. In an electric sadiron as defined in claim 5, a reenforcing member secured at one end to said lead-in member, extending outward therefrom, and surrounding said cord for a portion of its length adjacent said member, said cord and said reenforcing member being adjusted by rotation of the lead-in member to extend outwardly from either side of the handle or from the rear end thereof.

ABE O. SAMUELS. 

